Firefox 13 Now Available For Download, Brings A New Tab Page & SPDY Support

With Mozilla’s release schedule, most Firefox updates we’ve seen in the past have been quite slow, but this time around, things are a bit different. Firefox 13, which is now available for download, actually introduces some major improvements, including a redesigned Homepage and a New Tab page. When you first start up the browser, the Firefox new Start Page gives you easy access to Settings, along with Downloads, Bookmarks, History, Add-ons, Sync, and Restore Previous Session options. That’s not all; the new version finally offers the long-promised New Tab page, which comes with thumbnails of often-viewed sites. This page automatically loads thumbnails for your pinned tabs/frequently visited websites, but you can always remove unwanted pages and drag bookmarks for your favorite websites on to the page. Additionally, Firefox now supports the SPDY protocol, which will improve performance and load times.

After you’ve installed Firefox 13, the default home page will give you quicker access to Settings, Bookmarks, History, Downloads, add-ons and more. You will also be able to restore your previous browsing session with only a simple click.

When you hit the (+) button to open a new tab in Firefox 13, you will be presented with a Chrome-like thumbnail view of your most visited sites. Note that your frequently visited websites are automatically loaded, but you can always pin tabs and drag bookmarks into it for speedier access.

These changes, when compared to Chrome, may not seem very exciting for a lot of people, but the release has definitely upgraded Firefox in a major way. The complete list of changes can be found here. You can download Firefox 13 for Mac and Windows from the links below, or if you want, you can wait for the official release through Firefox update channel.